Chinese lychees flood Vietnamese markets, priced at 700,000 VND/kg

These days, specialties lychee Bac Giang and Hai Duong are “dying red” the market. The total lychee output of the two provinces is estimated at 225,000 tons, most of which is for export to China.

However, from the beginning of June until now, Chinese lychee unexpectedly landed in Vietnamese markets and is commonly sold at 1.2-1.4 million VND/2 kg basket (equivalent to 600,000-700,000 VND/kg). This price is about 3-4 times higher than the price of Phu Cu U Trung litchi ( Hung Yen ) - the type of litchi that is causing a fever on the market today, and about 15 times higher than the price of early ripe litchi in our country.

Talk to VietNamNet reporter , Ms. Dao Thi Nhung - owner of a fruit shop in Dai Kim (Hoang Mai, Hanoi ), said that the Chinese lychees being imported and sold by shops are seedless lychees.

This is a famous lychee variety, originating from Hainan province (China).

Chinese lychees are sold all over online markets. Photo: NVCC

The lychee skin is pink-red, the flesh is thick, juicy and seedless (the percentage of fruits with small seeds like beans is only about 2%). This type of lychee has a very fragrant smell, a light sweet taste, completely different from the strong sweetness of Vietnamese lychee.

Ms. Nhung's store imported lychees from China to sell since the beginning of June. However, she only accepts orders from customers and does not have them in stock at the store.

“Fresh lychees are difficult to preserve. If left for a long time, the skin will lose its color and become unattractive. Therefore, the store only imports according to the quantity ordered by customers,” said Ms. Nhung. Her store is selling a 2kg basket of Chinese lychees for 1.4 million VND.

According to Ms. Nhung, compared to other types of lychee on the market today, Chinese lychee is the most expensive. Therefore, this item is quite picky about customers. People mainly order it as a gift, or buy it to experience.

“The store has just received three shipments of seedless lychees from China to fulfill customer orders. Each shipment contains between 30 and 50 baskets,” she said.

On the “online market”, Chinese lychees are mostly sold in 2kg baskets. Because the baskets have gel ice inside to preserve them, helping the lychees stay fresh for a long time during transport.

However, due to the high price of lychee, some stores separate it into retail boxes weighing 300 grams for customers to try.

“In previous years, Chinese seedless lychees were often exported to Japan and South Korea. This year, the lychee harvest was good, so there are some exports to Vietnam,” Ms. Nguyen Thi Ha, owner of an imported fruit store in Hai Ba Trung (Hanoi), told VietNamNet.

Seedless lychees from China are extremely expensive. Photo: Uu Dam

Initially, Ms. Ha’s shop did not sell lychees individually but in 2kg baskets. However, the number of customers ordering was not much because each basket of lychees like that costs up to 1.3 million VND.

But in the last two trips, she divided them into small boxes to sell retail. The imported fabric was divided into small boxes weighing 300 grams and sold for 400,000 VND/box. Since then, the number of customers ordering has increased quite sharply.

“Currently, Chinese lychees arrive every two days. The quantity depends on the customer’s order, but it can be up to 100 kg per shipment,” said Ms. Ha.

In Vietnam, a company has successfully grown seedless lychees in Thanh Hoa. In 2023, this company will start harvesting and selling them to the market.

Accordingly, the price of seedless lychees sold in the garden is up to 170,000 VND/kg. When distributed to the market, seedless lychees are packaged in boxes with different prices such as: 2kg box costs 550,000 VND/box, 1kg box costs 280,000 VND/box and 0.5kg box costs 148,000 VND/box.

This fabric has also been exported by the company to the Japanese and British markets.

In Bac Giang, seedless lychee varieties are also being tested. In 2022, the first lychee harvest will be held.

According to initial assessment, the lychee peel is red and thick, which is convenient for longer preservation; the lychee flesh is thick and seedless, sweet and has a very distinctive aroma. The appearance and weight are similar to the main crop lychee in Luc Ngan. The selling price at the garden is about 100,000 VND/kg.

Source: https://baoquangninh.vn/vai-thieu-trung-quoc-do-bo-cho-viet-gia-700-000-dong-kg-3362046.html